IU Jacobs School of Music hosts renowned Brazilian and Chinese ensembles

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music will welcome two world-renowned international ensembles this semester -- the São Paulo State University Percussion Ensemble, Grupo PIAP, from Brazil and the Peiyang Chorus of Tianjin University in China.

Grupo PIAP will present a master class Feb. 3 at 4 p.m. in the Music Building Addition, Room 452 and a concert Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. in Auer Hall. Both events are free and open to the public. The project is sponsored by the Jacobs School of Music's Latin American Music Center and Percussion Department.

"The São Paulo State University Percussion Ensemble is an award-winning and internationally recognized ensemble that collaborates with world-renowned composers and performers," said John Tafoya, chair of the Jacobs Percussion Department. "Our faculty and students are very excited about this event that features percussion ensemble music from Brazil."

Grupo PIAP was created by its director, John Boudler, in 1978 as a means of academic and artistic training and as a vehicle for promoting percussion repertoire in Brazil. Made up of bachelor's degree students in percussion from São Paulo State University, the ensemble has become a permanent fixture of the Brazilian musical scene through concerts, recordings and radio and television appearances. Among its many successes, the group has received numerous awards, toured the United States in 1987 and produced three CDs.

During this 2010 North American tour, Grupo PIAP will perform only Brazilian works by composers who have a special connection to the ensemble's history, such as colleagues, friends, alumni, collaborators and/or historically prominent musical figures.

China's Peiyang Chorus from Tianjin University will open its United States tour with a performance March 10 at 7 p.m. in Auer Hall. The chorus will also present a master class for students of the Jacobs School's International Vocal Ensemble, directed by Katherine Strand, at 4:30 p.m. the same day in Sweeney Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

"The Jacobs School and Indiana University are looking forward to hosting this outstanding chorus," said Michael Schwartzkopf, chair of the Jacobs Choral Conducting Department. "It will be a unique experience for our students and community to hear their repertoire and learn more of their culture."

Peiyang Chorus is the official choral society of Tianjin University, the first modern university in China, established in 1895. The group, which used to be known as Peiyang Singing Group or later Tianjin University Chorus, adopted its present name in 1985. It has been awarded seven gold medals in international choral competitions and honored by the International Federation for Choral Music as a world-class chorus. The group consists of undergraduate and postgraduate students from different fields of study.

For the past two decades, Peiyang Chorus has offered performances in more than 20 countries and regions. It has performed nearly 1,000 Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern and Contemporary choral compositions, many of which were introduced to Chinese audiences for the first time. Apart from performing numerous operettas and symphonic choral compositions, Peiyang Chorus has also sung hundreds of Chinese folk songs.

The group's directors are Professor Baoping Ren and Yong Mao, while Xiaonan Kou serves as its liaison.